Speaker - Siaosi Gavet, PhD Candidate, Department of Pacific Affairs

PLEASE NOTE: This is a hybrid event (in-person as well as on Zoom).

Each year, a significant number of New Zealand teenagers migrate to Australia in pursuit of their dreams in the National Rugby League (NRL). Almost all have focussed on sport rather than school and almost all never make a professional sport debut. Dislocation from family, faith, and friends is sudden and relocation is often traumatic with a recognised morbidity and mortality from subsequent mental health issues. Join PhD candidate Siaosi Gavet as he presents a summary of his PhD thesis findings, which explore this issue.

Siaosi’s qualitative research project has investigated the experiences of NRL players who successfully transitioned from New Zealand and has explored the perspectives of wellbeing and education stakeholders from NRL clubs. The overwhelming themes to emerge from stakeholder interviews and Pacific talanoa, were pre-relocation preparation, and lifting the minimum age for relocation. Siaosi also proposes policy recommendations to enhance the duty of care and allow for consistency across the NRL clubs.